Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-15
THE LOST SITUATION.
BYA. R.


before she came into the trying on
rooms, for she remembers disentangling
the fringe Of her shawl from it; and II
was certainly gone when she re-entered
the show rooms.n
There was dead silence among the
six girls who were sewing in various
parts of the room. Hester Delford
looked innocently up at her employer
with the great gray eyes that had such
child's fntentness Of expression.
"But If we had seen it, sir, should we
not have brought IL directly to you"
"Well, YOU ought to, certainly" said
Mr., Warfield, little discounted by
the straightforward directness Of the
query. "At all events, it's very strange
what can have become Of it."
"I hope, sir, you don't think we
would any of US steal it,p said Aman-
da Slocum, tossing her cheap ribbons
with an air and a grace.
"It was very valuable ruby and
worth. / am told, a good deal Of mon
ey.n said Mr.. Warfield, obviously.
The girls sewed on, Hester Delford
singing softly at her work, with the
winter sunshine full on her innocent,
daisy face, and the rest whispering
among themselves, save when Mrs.
Joyce, the forewOman, would elevate
her hands and eyes and ejaculate: "a
little less noise, young ladies; little less
noise, ifyou please"
Presently there was rustling Of soft
silken skirts, q murmur of aristocratic-
ally modulated voices, in the outer
room, and the door was flung open to
admit-Miss Chessington.
"For know / must have lost 1t in
this room," she said.
s'And I insist upon thorough
search being made at once" went on
Miss Chessington. "The buttons were
sixty dollars pair, and don't think I
can justify it to myself to let the mat
ter drop so.n
Certainly not-eertainly not" said
Mr.. Warfield. -~-....
At this moment Helen Jones crossed
the room to Hester Dalford's stand and
asked her, in whisper, for certain
shade of sewing silk. .
81 think it Is in the second drawer,
If you will look there for it," said
Hester quickly.
And Helen opening her drawer ac-
cordingly, Miss Chessington saw the
red gleam of her ruby sleeve-button in
the little pastboard box where Hester
kept her diffe2ent colored sewing silks.
aThere! ! knew it?n cried Miss
Chessington, pouncing upon the trink-
ct with flash in her dark eyes, and q
renewed accession of color to her
cheeks. 'tShe has stolen it, the awful
thing, and hidden it away there"
Hester sat like one transformed to q
still statue Of living, breathing marble.
She could not speak; she could not
plead her own innocence; she could not
even hazard word to stem the torrent
Of Miss Chessington's vehement re.
proaches. She could only see the Other
girls gathering mutely around her; she
could only hear Mr.. Warfield's
shocked voice:
"Hester! Hester! would not have
believed this of you!"
"Indeed, indeed" she gasped family,
II did not put it there. 1 cannot i'm
agine how IL came there!"
II dare say" said Miss Chessingtor
contemptuousIy, at walked there O
itself, have no dOubtw
"You'll discharge her, of course?'
said Miss Chessington, turning to Mr.
Warfield, "or else shall be under tht
painful necessity of myself summoninl
o policeman. Such an audacious thief
as that must not be allowed to pass un
punishedw
"Of course I shall discharge her,
said Mr.. Warfield, gravely, "unless sht
can give satisfactory account of how
the sleeve-button came there. Heste
my child, speak outw
But Hester could not speak; sh'
could only sob and tremble, and lool
Eo fn NU n
Miss Chessington was inexorable; ant
30 it came to pass that, half an hou
afterward, she crept to her own poo
little home, not only deprived of tn,
privilege of working for her morsel o
daily bread, but branded with tn
stigma of thief.
Alas, poor Hester! And she hat
been 50 blithe and happy that morning
she had even dared to think that Mr.
Warfield spoke more kindly to her thai
to the other girls and fingered longe
by her side, giving the directions 70
the days work; and now-Heste
her throbbing eyes and wondered if i
would be very wicked to take laudanun
and end all this weary despair in
blessed unending sleep.
While she sat, crouched all in hea
TN the corner, beside her fireless stove
events had not ceased to transpire q
the great Ladies' furnishing emporium
Of Messrs. Warfield & Co." on Broad
way. For Mike Holloran, the Hibel
nian retainer of the firm, had just com
in with big, sparkling lump of ice fo
the ice pitcher.
"Is it the sleeve button we're afte
maxim all this commotion about?
said Mike, looking round. Faith,
could have tould ye where it was b.
fore, If ye'd any of yea come down il
to the furnace room and axed me-
Didn't ] see it shinin' like big re
eye, bad luck to it, on the fiu-e, anon
the scraps and shippins o. silk, when
swept up in the mornin'; and for sa
keepin' like, for me pockets was full ,
holes, put 1t in the drawer; and didn't
mean to tell the masther the first tim
saw him. Sure there warn't no sue
mystery about it,"
Miss Chessington looked at Mr.. Wa
field, Mr.. Warfield looked at Mrs. Joyt
and the five sewing girls, and a silent
descended upon them all.
II am very sorry,n said Miss Ches
ington, "but it wasn't my fault"
"Nor mine either, of course" sal
Mrs. Joyce. II couldn't suppose
y a - y ~ T.